Revitalization of Route 1 Going Strong

Richmond Highway revitalization continues at an ever increasing pace as new development replaces old. Projects, either underway or on the drawing boards, stretch from Woodlawn Plantation to the Capital Beltway. Here is an update on some of those endeavors as provided by Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation (SFDC):

°Beacon Center, 6700 Richmond Highway. Chevy Chase Bank and Goodyear Tire have begun construction. Chipolte is scheduled to begin construction with in the next month. TGI Friday's and Famous Dave's Barbecue are forecast to be coming to this site in the near future.

°Former Wachovia Bank site across from Beacon Center has been sold to Pace Properties for a reported $2 million.

°Del Ray Glass. Construction is well underway on this company's new headquarters near the intersection of Dawn Drive and Richmond Highway. Completion is expected this Fall.

°Commerce Bank/Chili's. Located next to Del Ray Glass, construction on the new bank facility has begun. Land has been cleared for Chili's with construction scheduled to commence before Fall.

°Former Captain White's Restaurant. According to representatives at TriMark, the restaurant has been leased.

°Mount Vernon Plaza. This revitalized and totally redesigned center is quickly filling up its vacant space. A ribbon cutting ceremony was recently held officially inaugurating this new landmark.

°K&M Shopping Center. A site plan for this 7,000 square feet shopping center on Fordson Road is presently before County planning with hopes of being under construction before year's end.

°Walgreen's. This 14,000 square feet building planned for 7929 and 7635 Richmond Highway is going through the County planning process.

°Hopkins House. After a formal ground breaking in January 2006, site excavation has begun for a new day care center at the corner of Forest Place and Richmond Highway that can accommodate up to 100 children.

°IMP Building. SFDC recently announced they have signed a leased for approximately 1,000 square feet of space in this building at 8850 Richmond Highway to serve as their new headquarters office. SFDC's previous space at Pear Tree Village will be consumed by a government contractor.